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University of Southern Mississippi

Dept. of History
118 College Dr. #5047
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001

Phone 601.266.4333
Fax 601.266.4334
E-mail: phyllis.jestice@usm.edu

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

Early America, the United States, and Modern European History; Specializations in the U.S. South and the History of War and Society.

Program Description

The Department of History at the University of Southern Mississippi offers graduate study leading to degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy in History.

Special Programs or Resources

The department's traditional strength in the history of the U.S. South is complemented by the efforts of the university's Center for the Study of the Gulf South. The southern history program has developed particular strengths in slavery, the New South, and African-American history. To support these fields, the McCain Library and Archives at the University of Southern Mississippi has manuscript collections that are particularly strong in the areas of twentieth-century southern political history and the civil rights movement. In addition, the History Department is affiliated with the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the university. The Center has a rich collection of oral histories on a variety of topics concerning the history and culture of Mississippi in the twentieth century. The History Department has also developed a strong emphasis in the history of war and society, in conjunction with the university's Center for the Study of War & Society. The war and society program allows for a great deal of flexibility and creativity by combining traditional military history and War & Society approaches to study of the history of conflict. USM's History Department also boasts an active study abroad component, in conjunction with the university's International Programs center. Enrolled students can conduct primary research abroad and have the opportunity to study history in places such as France, Britain, and Vietnam. The most recent addition to our graduate offerings is a new Certificate Program in Public History, an interdisciplinary endeavor that will draw on the university's excellent oral history center, Anthropology Department, and graduate Library program.

Financial Aid

Financial assistance is regularly offered in the form of teaching assistantships, with new appointments made each spring for the following academic year. Assistantships, which include tuition waivers, are competitive; applicants who wish to apply for assistantships must contact the department separately from the admission application. The department offers dissertation fellowships to a limited number of students through the McCain Fellowship Award, which is highly competitive. For more information on graduate financial assistance, please see the department's website.

Degree Requirements

Ph.D. students are required to complete 54 semester hours beyond the MA degree. This total includes 36 hours of course work, 6 hours of dissertation research credit, and 12 hours of dissertation credit. At the end of the 36 hours of course work, students are required to pass written and oral comprehensive examinations in their major field and two minor fields.



University Information:

Information from Department of Education
(Includes information on the size, location, and general characteristics of faculty and student body)

Information from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
(Includes rating of the institution's rating of the graduate instructional program and size and setting)

 

Faculty Information (Fall 2011):

Full-time Faculty: 21

Relative Size based on Number of Full-time Faculty: Medium [Explain]

 

Student Demographics (Fall 2011):

Number of Doctoral Students in Program: 30

New Doctoral Students Entering Program: 4

Proportion of Doctoral Students Receiving Financial Aid: 43%

Number of Graduate Students Enrolled: 66

Relative Size Based on Graduate Student Enrollment: Medium [Explain]

 

Degree Information:

First PhD conferred: 1969

History PhDs conferred to Date: 54

Number of PhDs Conferred (2011–12): 2

Relative Size Based on PhDs Conferred: Small [Explain]

Current Dissertations in Progress

PhDs Conferred by Department

 

 

Last Updated: October 19, 2012